Mumbai: Coffee has long existed beyond the beverage itself – be it as a morning ritual, a reason to meet, a creative pause and, increasingly, a marker of culture. This International Coffee Day, Rumbabaa in Andheri is exploring those different dimensions with a 10-day programme running from 26 September to 5 October, bringing together coffee, music, food and creative experiences through a changing calendar of experiences.
Rather than treating International Coffee Day as a single-day occasion, the programme unfolds across different coffee styles, moods and cultural references. Each day takes a particular aspect of coffee and gives it its own setting – from The First Cup, affogato and classic coffees to pour-overs, cold brews, cascara, black coffee and matcha & ube, with music programming evolving alongside each theme.
The idea is to make coffee something to engage with, rather than simply order. Guests can expect coffee-led experiences, workshops, discovery sessions and informal gatherings, alongside a music programme that moves from deep house and Afrofunk to classic and retro sounds, jazz and blues, contemporary pop, live percussion, Latin music, disco and lo-fi, chill house and pop.
A key part of the programme will be its focus on experiencing coffee in different ways. The schedule will include ARC Method sessions, educational and discovery programming, coffee bar takeovers and interactive experiences such as coffee fortune cards, offering guests different ways to engage with the festival beyond the cup. The programme will also explore flavours and ingredients beyond coffee, with a dedicated Matcha & Ube day towards the end of the festival.
The programme also creates distinct moments across the 10 days. The opening day, The First Cup, sets the tone with deep house and a Monk Fruit Awareness Pop-Up from 11 AM to 3 PM. The following day brings Affogato Afters + Afrofunk, alongside an ARC Method session from 10 AM to 12 PM and coffee fortune cards. The programme then moves through classics, pour-overs and cold brews before reaching International Coffee Day on 1 October, the peak festival day, with a percussion and live zone and an evening drum circle.
The food and beverage calendar follows the same exploratory approach. Affogato Afters brings together coffee and dessert with Afrofunk, while Cascara Day looks at the coffee cherry through an educational and discovery session with Deepak, accompanied by Latin music and a salsa workshop. The programme then moves through dedicated Black Coffee and Cold Coffee moments before concluding with Beyond Coffee – Matcha & Ube.
Adding to the festival atmosphere will be a strong focus on music, creativity and collaboration. 3 October’s Black Coffee Day will feature DJ Black Coffee alongside a Siolim specialty coffee bar takeover and a tattoo studio built around the concept of the Breathing Canvas. The Breathing Canvas experience will continue on 4 October during the Matcha & Ube-focused day, while the festival will close with a Czar Coffee bar takeover on 5 October.
For a space that already brings together coffee and music, the 10-day programme is an opportunity to look more closely at the culture that exists around both. Over the course of the festival, the focus moves from what is in the cup to how it is experienced, what accompanies it, who it brings together and the sounds and creative experiences that shape the occasion around it.